1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheel for vehicle. More specifically, it relates to a wheel for a vehicle, which comprises a wheel body, and a decorated (or decorative) member that is made from resin.
2. Description of the Related Art
For the purpose of improving mileage (or fuel economy), many wheels have been made from light alloys, such as aluminum alloy and magnesium alloy. Automotive tires have been installed to wheels to use. For example, such a conventional wheel that has been made from light alloy comprises a rim, and a disk. Moreover, such a conventional wheel has been provided with decorative openings, which are formed in the disk, not only to achieve making it more lightweight but also to intend to upgrade the decorativeness and improve the cooling efficiency. Note that the term, “decorative opening,” means “vent hole” that wheel manufactures have been using usually. Hence, it is possible hereinafter to reword the term as “decorative vent hole” or simply as “vent hole.”
It has been a general practice for the makers of light-alloy wheels to let their wheel bodies alone express decorativeness, without using any wheel cap, but by making use of metallic gloss. However, when letting a wheel body alone express decorativeness, it is uneconomical if the wheel body, especially its decorative surface, is damaged, because the entire wheel body needs to be replaced. Moreover, since specific decorations might possibly not satisfy the strength of the wheel properly, it has been difficult to materialize such decorations.
For example, many conventional wheels for vehicle comprise a hub, and spokes that extend radially from the hub, and the above-described decorative openings are often disposed between the spokes. However, when intending to form a decoration, which has a space, between the spokes; and when forming the decoration by casting or machining, the manufacturing cost has gone up because it is necessary to consume a considerable number of man-hour requirements in order to carry out such casting or machining. Moreover, the decoration may result in a drawback in strength.
Meanwhile, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 11-227,402, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2002-79,801, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2003-159,901, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2005-324,799 propose a decorated light-alloy wheel, which comprises a wheel body, and a decorated member being made from resin and being fitted detachably to the wheel body. For example, in the decorated light-alloy wheel set forth in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2003-159,901, a dent (or recess) is formed in a surface, which involves the wheel body's spokes; and the decorated member, which is made from resin, is installed replaceably to the dent. Moreover, in the decorated light-alloy wheel set forth in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2005-324,799, a decorated cover, which is made from resin, is installed replaceably by forming a through hole in the spokes, providing the decorated cover with protrusions protruding therefrom, and fitting the resulting protrusions into the through holes with an elastic bushing being interposed therebetween.
When forming a decoration between the spokes in the conventional wheels, it is possible to think of making such a decoration using those decorated members that are made from resin and are disclosed in the gazettes. However, in the decorated light-alloy wheel set forth in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2003-159,901, although the dents are effective for making the decorated light-alloy wheel lightweight because the dents are formed in the spokes, the depth of the dents is limited when taking the strength of spokes into consideration. As a result, the conventional decorated light-alloy wheel might be associated with such a problem that it provides wheel designers lower degree of freedom in designing decorations.
Moreover, when providing the aforementioned conventional decorated light-alloy wheels with a decorated member partially, it has been often the case that it is desired to make the surface of decorated member substantially flush with the surface of wheel body. In this case, the spokes should be thinned out with respect to the decorated member's thickness. Accordingly, the spokes exhibit strength, which has degraded to such an extent. Consequently, this limits the free design of conventional decorated light-alloy wheels.